California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense)
Description: The California tiger salamander is a relatively large, secretive amphibian endemic to California. Adults can grow to a total length of about 7 to 8 inches. It has a stocky body and a broad, rounded snout. Adults are black with yellow or cream spots; larvae are greenish-grey in color. The California tiger salamander has brown protruding eyes with black irises.
Habitat: Found in grassland, oak savanna, edges of mixed woodland and lower elevation coniferous forest.
Range: Endemic to California. The historic range of this species is not well known because it has been fragmented, but they were probably distributed throughout most of the Central Valley where there was suitable vernal pool and grassland habitat, from Tulare County north to at least Yolo County, and in the south coast ranges from San Luis Obispo County north to Monterey Bay and north, east of the Bay Area. Currently, most populations in the Central Valley have been extirpated, and the remainder are found in the surrounding foothills. Isolated populations now occur in the Sacramento Valley at Gray Lodge National Wildlife Refuge and near Dunnigan.
Diet: Adults are known to eat earthworms, snails, insects, fish, and even small mammals, but adult California tiger salamanders eat very little.
Reproduction: Breeding takes place after the first rains in late fall and early winter, when the wet season allows the salamanders to migrate to the nearest pond, a journey that may be as far as a 1.3 miles and take several days. The eggs, which the female lays in small clusters or singly, hatch after 10 to 14 days. The larval period lasts for three to six months. However, California tiger salamander larvae may also "overwinter". Transformation for overwintering larvae may take 13 months or more. Recent discoveries, such as overwintering, have management implications for this threatened species, particularly when aquatic habitats undergo modification. The larvae feed on other small invertebrates, including tadpoles. When their pond dries, they resorb their gills, develop lungs, and then the metamorphs leave the pond in search of a burrow.
Status: Listed as Vulnerable because of a population decline, estimated to be more than 30% over the last three generations, inferred from habitat destruction and degradation. The generation length is estimated to be eight years
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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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